Net Zero Accelerator Programme Pathfinder
The Net Zero Accelerator Programme is part of the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, working with a range of partners including the National Education Nature Park, the Sustainability Support for Education Hub, Climate Ambassadors, and Let’s Go Zero’s as part of a coordinated mission.
The programme works with 50 schools across the UK, and we are thrilled to share that eight BPET schools have been included. The aim is to find - and scale up across the country - decarbonisation initiatives across the education estates. The funding will enable Barker to make changes to our schools' buildings to reduce energy and carbon emissions for example by improving heating and lighting efficiency, buying cheaper and greener energy, improving insulation, converting lighting to LED and installing solar panels. They will also be working with our teachers and pupils to develop Climate Action Plans, setting out immediate changes to how you use your school buildings that will directly impact the reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions.
Overseen by LocatED, the government’s education property experts, they will work with our trust and eight of our schools to:
- Enable climate resilience by reducing harmful carbon emissions
- Make cost savings by reducing energy consumption
- Reduce waste inefficiency
- Create shared learning experiences on climate action change
- Set the standard for a net zero accelerator national rollout.
Our eight schools included in this programme are: Evendons Primary School, Halley House School, Kilburn Grange School, Rivermead Primary School, Rutherford House School, Watling Park School, Whitehall Park School, Whiteknights Primary School.
We have worked with Net Zero and other partners for a number of years, and we are delighted that our commitment to reducing our impact and teaching children about sustainability has been recognised, as well as given the chance to be accelerated.